Freedom is a realistic novel based on a “typical” American family living in the 21st century, in urban St. Paul, Minnesota. Published in 2009 by Jonathan Franzen, the book became an instant hit all throughout book stores in America. The book focuses on family life in America nowadays, but takes twists and turns into the past decades, which shines light on why people are the way they are. Franzen narrates from a third person limited view, the relationships between Patty, the main character, and all of the people she’s come into contact with throughout her life. The book itself is appallingly truthful, and Franzen is not shy to swear in his dialogue, or talk about things that are usually left unsaid, however this makes for a better read
About the Author
Jonathan Franzen was born on August 17, 1959 in Western Springs, Illinois.
He is currently 52 years old.
His official job title is an American Novelist.
Franzen is divorced and single.
He has no children.
Both of his parents are deceased.
He currently owns two homes
One in Upper East Side Manhattan.
One the other in Boulder Creek California.
Franzen is remarkable in his consistency of writing quality novels worth reading, thus leading to the respect he’d earn from literary critics. "Franzen composes yet another extraordinarily moving novel" - LA Times.
Like most novelists his first couple of novels were relatively unknown such as:
The Twenty-Seventh City (1988)
Strong Motion (1992).
However he had a break through novel published in 2001 titled The Corrections. Since then he had received 2 New York Times Best Seller awards, the National Book Award (2001), and was a finalist in 2002 for the Pulitzer Prize.
Characters
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The story is centered around the Bergulund family, which consists of Walter, Patty, Jessica, and Joey. Walter and Patty are married with two children, Jessica and Joey. Walter and Patty have known each other since their days in college and Patty had secretly always been a little unhappy knowing she was with Walter when she had feelings for his best friend, Richard Katz. Once Jessica and Joey reach their teenage years, the family slowly starts to disintegrate. Joey moves out of the house and becomes sexually active with his girlfriend and Jessica moves on to college disconnecting herself from the family. To get to the roots of their family conflict, Franzen takes the story back in time to when Patty was an all-star basketball player with everything going for her and shines light on issues of her past.
Theme:Love is a powerful ideal that people strive to experience, however denying one’s love for another person causes great heartache and often leads to inevitable issues.
Book Review
Freedom is an addictive novel that truly keeps one reading. I, as a non-reader, can even say that this is a fantastic book. The realism of the book is what makes it so relatable, such as swearing in the dialogue, and also the references that are made. Usually when reading a book, I expect it to be very formal and boring, however in this book its actually as interesting as hearing gossip. When reading, you feel as though you truly know the characters by hearing about the highs and lows of their personal life. Such as sexual adventures, alcoholism, drug use, cheating, and family conflict. All of which are subjects that might generally be omitted from everyday conversation, however make for a great and interesting read with a meaningful storyline.
Style Analysis
Franzen uses several different elements throughout the novel to create his very own distinguished style. The story is told in a third-person limited point of view from Patty Bergulund, the narrator retells the stories from Patty's autobiography that her therapist suggest she write. This alone is an odd way to approach writing a novel, however there are many other elements that separate Franzen from the average writer. Franzen's diction is also worth taking note of, he is not shy to use any vulgar language in his narration of the story and certainly not in the dialogue. When Patty tells an old college friend she no longer wants her friendship, the friend responds, "You know what;s going to happen if you leave, don't you? I'm going to kill myself" (Franzen 95). This dialogue captures the pure desperation of an over-emotional teenage girl perfectly, while creating an intense scene leaving the reader on the edge of his or her seat. Rather then playing it safe, Franzen chooses to play with fire by bringing up the topic of suicide, which is a real issue in teenagers. Literary critic Jonathan Jones agrees that, "Freedom has the same seductive narrative impulse that made Franzen's previous family drama so engaging. This book, too, is an intimate and profoundly realistic novel of family life and close relationships" (Jones). The fact that Franzen makes bold choices in his diction, dialogue, and overall perspective of life, it creates the perfect balance of reality and provocation in an individuals life.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
About the Book
Freedom is a realistic novel based on a “typical” American family living in the 21st century, in urban St. Paul, Minnesota. Published in 2009 by Jonathan Franzen, the book became an instant hit all throughout book stores in America. The book focuses on family life in America nowadays, but takes twists and turns into the past decades, which shines light on why people are the way they are. Franzen narrates from a third person limited view, the relationships between Patty, the main character, and all of the people she’s come into contact with throughout her life. The book itself is appallingly truthful, and Franzen is not shy to swear in his dialogue, or talk about things that are usually left unsaid, however this makes for a better readAbout the Author
Characters
&
Theme: Love is a powerful ideal that people strive to experience, however denying one’s love for another person causes great heartache and often leads to inevitable issues.
Book Review
Freedom is an addictive novel that truly keeps one reading. I, as a non-reader, can even say that this is a fantastic book. The realism of the book is what makes it so relatable, such as swearing in the dialogue, and also the references that are made. Usually when reading a book, I expect it to be very formal and boring, however in this book its actually as interesting as hearing gossip. When reading, you feel as though you truly know the characters by hearing about the highs and lows of their personal life. Such as sexual adventures, alcoholism, drug use, cheating, and family conflict. All of which are subjects that might generally be omitted from everyday conversation, however make for a great and interesting read with a meaningful storyline.
Style Analysis
Exclusive Interview with Franzen